Will Congress really ban assault weapons?

The American flag flies at half-staff in front of the U.S. Capitol dome in Washington on Monday. The Newtown massacre has revitalized gun control efforts in Congress.

The American flag flies at half-staff in front of the U.S. Capitol dome in Washington on Monday. The Newtown massacre has revitalized gun control efforts in Congress. (Reuters)

President Obama vowed Monday to use the power of his office to stop mass shootings, but was hazy on specifics. Will he? Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut called for the restoration of the federal assault weapons ban that expired in 2004, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California vowed to introduce a bill doing just that in 2013. Will this happen? Just over half of Americans polled support banning semiautomatic handguns. And a majority support a nationwide ban on high-capacity ammunition clips. But Congress has not followed suit with legislation. Will the Newtown massacre change lawmakers’ minds? What’s your view?